Game 49 | Cavaliers vs. Clippers | January 31, 2010 | 6:00pm EST

[Ajak0410]

@

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HOUSE IN NEED OF PROTECTION: Quicken Loans Arena

Tune in:

Coaches


Clippers - Mike Dunleavy Sr. (612-714 all time)
"My team ignores my playcalls!"

Cavaliers - Mike Brown (248-128 all time)
"Hey so does mine! Wait, so what's the problem again?"

Clippers Starting Lineup


PG - Baron Davis

SG - Eric Gordon

SF - Rasual Butler

PF - Marcus Camby

C - Brian Skinner

Clippers Projected Bench

Bobby Brown | Mardy Collins | Ricky Davis | DeAndre Jordan | Steve Novak | Craig Smith | Al Thornton



Cavaliers Starting Lineup


PG - Daniel Gibson

SG - Anthony Parker

SF - Lebron James

PF - J.J. Hickson

C - Shaquille O'Neal

Cavaliers Projected Bench

Danny Green | Zydrunas Ilgauskas | Cedric Jackson | Darnell Jackson | Jamario Moon | Anderson Varejao | Jawad Williams



Injury Report

Clippers
Blake Griffin - Knee - Out
Chris Kaman - Ankle/ribs - Out
Sebastian Telfair - Groin - Out

Cavaliers
Leon Powe - Knee - Out
Delonte West - Finger - Out
Mo Williams - Shoulder - Out



Game Preview

The Cavs barely came away with a victory in the last meeting between these two teams. A Baron Davis brick in the closing seconds sealed the Cavs' 102-101 victory on January 16th in Los Angeles that kicked off Cleveland’s current 7 game winning streak. The depleted Clippers, without Al Thornton and leading scorer Chris Kaman, shot 60% from the field and poured in 10 threes to take the Cavaliers all the way down to the wire. The Cavs were finishing up their west coast road trip and coming off of the Sundiata Gaines buzzer beater two nights before and didn't seem to give the Clippers their full attention until crunch time. The Clippers have gone 3-4 since, losing their last 3 including double digit losses to the Nets and Timberwolves.

This time around, it's the Cavs who might be feeling shorthanded without Mo Williams and Delonte West. However, the Clippers' leading scorer Chris Kaman is questionable for Sunday's game and may miss his second consecutive game with a sprained ankle. If Kaman and the Clippers decide that facing Shaq doesn't fit in with the center's rehab plans, Marcus Camby will lead a ragged frontcourt into battle on Sunday that probably wishes Zach Randolph was still around. The Blake Show has been postponed until next year and while Craig Smith can provide a scoring spark off the bench, the Clippers can’t match Cleveland’s depth up front.


Matchups of Note

• Boobie vs. The Beard
  
  Daniel Gibson hasn't exactly taken the reins of the offense in Mo's absence(5 assists in his 4 starts), but he hasn't needed to either and is looking to have his 5th straight game scoring in double digits. Meanwhile, Baron Davis can get hot at any time from anywhere on the court, like he did against the Timberwolves on Friday when he scored 23 points in the third quarter.
  
  
• The Wind Beneath Their Wings

Rasual Butler and Eric Gordon combined for 61 points against the Cavaliers in their last meeting. Don’t expect Mike Brown or Lebron to allow a repeat performance. The Cavaliers missed Jamario Moon’s length and perimeter defense in the last game and will be without Delonte West Sunday.



If you would like to read a preview by someone with some actual credibility, be sure keep an eye out for Brian Windhorst's preview at http://www.cleveland.com/cavs/ and MoFloDeepintheQ's preview at http://numbersdont.com/. Also, if you're interested, I'd recommend http://www.clipsnation.com/ as a good site to read a Clippers' fan's perspective on things.

Prediction

The Cleveland frontcourt proves to be too physical for yet another L.A. team and the Cavaliers improve their record against teams with a Mike Dunleavy to 4-0 this season.






Game Music:

In honor of the Clippers' latest free-agent signing:

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Likely song of choice for Clippers fans after the game.:chuckles::

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It's really too bad the Spirit Dance Team doesn't travel with the Clippers. Pictures will have to do...

 

[di0p]

Great Job. I'd wouldn't be surprised if we see Parker start on Davis and Boobie playing Gordon, simply because Baron is pretty good in the post and Boobie might have a hard time with him down there. Of course if Redz is back that would help, but I'm not expecting him yet.

 

[SalvadoranCavsfan]

For the record I clicked on the link to go to the clips nation website. At the top of the website is says The Clippers: Because if you mangle an ACL, you get LAC :chuckles:

 

[MoFlo]

Thanks for the shout out Ajak!

The official NumbersDon't preview:

Game Preview – Sunday January 31, 2010 – Los Angeles Clippers @ Cleveland Cavaliers

The Cavaliers look to make it 8 in a row, 6 in a row without Mo Williams, and 5 in a row without Delonte West, as they come back home to start a much needed 7 game home-stand.

The Clevelanders are coming off of another relatively easy victory over Indiana, 94-73, outscoring them 17-9 in the 4th quarter. LeBron struggled with his shot (6-18), but finished tied with Shaq for the game high with 22 points, to go along with his 9 rebounds, a season high 13 assists, 2 steals, and 4 blocks, showing every asset of his game & showing why he deserves a second straight MVP award & at least some consideration for Defensive Player of the Year honors. Shaq added 8 rebounds to go along with his aforementioned 22 points on 8-10 shooting, and 2 blocks. Boobie Gibson added 10 points on 2 triple hits, making it his 4th straight game with 10+ points.

The Clippers are coming off a 111-97 thumping at the hands of the lowly T-Wolves. Baron Davis led the way in the losing effort with 28 points, 4 rebounds, 5 assists, and 3 steals. Marcus Camby added 10 points, 19 rebounds, 5 assists & 4 steals of his own, but it wasn’t enough, as the Clippers shot 5-23 from downtown in the loss.​

http://numbersdont.com/?p=1040

Don't forget to check out the other posts, leave us some love (via the comments! :chuckles and spread the good word!

And don't forget to leave suggestions, complaints, or chat about NumbersDon't in general here

 

[Andrew]

Damn, what's up with that early start time?

 

[392141503]

GO CAVS

 

[cab]

west not playing today- do you think its because its the clippers, they are show casing gibson or because he is just not ready?

 

[wuck]

From Windhorst:

Cleveland Cavaliers vs. L.A. Clippers: Windhorst Beat Blog
By Brian Windhorst, The Plain Dealer
January 31, 2010, 12:06PM
CLEVELAND -- Pregame from The Q:

Projected starting lineups
Clippers: Baron Davis, Eric Gordon, Rasual Butler, Marcus Camby, Brian Skinner
Cavs: Daniel Gibson, Anthony Parker, LeBron James, JJ Hickson, Shaquille O'Neal
Officials
Ron Garretson, Pat Fraher, Magat Kogut (rookie, first time working Cavs game)

• Guard Delonte West is out again. The Cavs won't take West off "day-to-day" status, which basically means they're not telling when he's coming back. Some players seemed to think West would be back by now. Guard Cedric Jackson, who is coming to the end of his 10-day contract, wasn't sure if he'd be here the entire 10 days because West might be back. Now the rumbling is he will be back this week. We'll see, the Cavs certainly aren't rushing things.

Key for this game is whether center Chris Kaman can play. Just like two weeks ago when the Cavs played the Clippers on Saturday night in L.A., Kaman was questionable right up until gametime. That time it was a back injury, this time it is an ankle injury. Clippers are saying it is a game-time decision again. He didn't play in the last game against the Timberwolves.

• The Clippers have a knack for playing terrible against bad teams -- ahem, they are coming off losses to both the Nets and Wolves, no team can say that this season -- but raising their level of play against good teams. They beat the Lakers a few weeks ago then very nearly beat the Cavs, losing by a point at home.

• Something tells me Cavs coach Mike Brown would like for the Clippers to really bring it and do it right away. He is dropping hints that he thinks the Cavs have been getting a bit too comfortable of late, getting away with turning the ball over a lot and not showing enough edge. In other words, I think he wants to win but the wants the Clippers to put up a strong fight to challenge his team. That is a luxury, the Cavs have won seven in a row and are starting a seven-game homestand.

Last time around Butler and Gordon were fantastic, Butler may have had the best game of his career. They have talent, especially if Kaman is able to play.

http://www.cleveland.com/cavs/index.ssf/2010/01/cleveland_cavaliers_vs_la_clip.html

 

[MoFlo]

west not playing today- do you think its because its the clippers, they are show casing gibson or because he is just not ready?

Precautionary reasons, I would assume.

No need to showcase Boobie, as most teams know what he's about by this point.

 

[David]

Brian Skinner's beard for President.

 

[David]

Wait... what the hell is up with Bobby Browns teeth...?

Bobby "snaggle tooth" Brown.

 

[nime]

I would blame the turnovers more on the lack of Delonte West and Mo Williams not playing.

 

[Mdog1]

Precautionary reasons, I would assume.

No need to showcase Boobie, as most teams know what he's about by this point.

Not true IMO Boobie is showing a lot of growth in his game this year. He is much better defensively, I also think that his already fairly flawless shot go a lot better especially on the release. Boobie is IMO a much improved player this year and is worth showcasing against certain teams that we don't really have any thing to worry about. Plus Delonte may be ready to play, but that doesn't mean that he should. He needs to get a little rest and rest as much as possible to make sure that he is 100% healthy.

 

[Andrew]

Please no career nights for any Clippers tonight!

 

[Chris]

This game will be tough, just like the last Clips game. Glad it's at home.